Gladys Knight Joins Amtrak to Celebrate National Train Day
The seven-time Grammy® Award-winner is this year's national spokesperson.
Empress of Soul, singer, actress and philanthropist, Gladys Knight will join thousands of rail fans for National Train Day. Knight will kick off the festivities with a concert in New York City on May 5 and host the signature event at Washington D.C.'s Union Station on May 7.
Ever since recording her #1 hit, "Midnight Train to Georgia," which she and The Pips requested the name be changed from the original title, "Midnight Plane to Houston," Knight has felt a deep connection to trains. "I'm thrilled to be a part of the National Train Day celebrations, especially this year as Amtrak commemorates its 40th anniversary," says Knight.
Over the years, few singers have matched Gladys Knight's unassailable artistry. Knight has enjoyed #1 hits in pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance. A tireless humanitarian, she is an iconic supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Georgia-born, Knight began performing gospel music at age four in the Mount Mariah Baptist Church and sang as a guest soloist with the Morris Brown College Choir. After forming Gladys Knight & The Pips with family members, the group released its first album in 1960 when Knight was just sixteen. With Knight singing lead and The Pips providing lush harmonies and graceful choreography, Gladys Knight & The Pips went on to achieve icon status and record some of the most memorable songs of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In 1996, the group was inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to the three Grammy Awards Knight won with The Pips, she has been awarded four additional Awards as a solo artist.
This spring Knight returns to the Tropicana Las Vegas for a special engagement at the newly named Gladys Knight Theater, formerly known as the Tiffany Theater, where she will perform fans favorites, as well as newer hits including her recent single "Settle." She has teamed up again with Producer Randy Jackson, whom she previously worked with on her album, "At Last," to work on a new album to be released sometime this spring or summer.
Today, Knight helps oversee her busy career from the Las Vegas headquarters of Shakeji, Inc., her personal entertainment corporation. She is a mother, great-grandmother, performer and business woman.